Red Bull have confirmed the appointment of the Mercedes driver scout involved in discovering Kimi Antonelli to head up their younger driver programme.
Frenchman Gwen Lagrue’s transfer was revealed by BBC Sport earlier this month.
On Monday, Red Bull launched a press release saying the 50-year-old’s signing as director of their junior programme, including he would join the crew in 2027.
Lagrue has been recruited primarily as a alternative for Helmut Marko, who retired from his long-time role as Red Bull’s motorsport adviser on the finish of final yr.
Red Bull crew principal Laurent Mekies mentioned in a press release: “Gwen is one of the very best talent developers in F1 and I know first-hand the expertise, leadership and passion he brings to developing young drivers.
“The Red Bull Junior Programme has at all times been a cornerstone of Red Bull’s success, and having Gwen lead it quickly displays the significance we proceed to place on creating the subsequent technology of F1 expertise.”
Mekies paid tribute to Marko for his “extraordinary contribution over greater than twenty years creating and main the junior programme”, praising the Austrian former F1 driver’s “imaginative and prescient, dedication and talent to determine and develop distinctive abilities”.
Lagrue mentioned in the assertion: “After 11 memorable years at Mercedes, I felt this was the correct second to tackle a brand new problem and proceed rising personally and professionally.
“The Red Bull Junior Programme is one of the most respected and successful driver development programmes in motorsport.
“It has produced among the best abilities F1 has ever seen, and it’s a actual honour to have the chance to lead such a proficient group of individuals and assist form its subsequent chapter.
“Together, we have a fantastic framework to build on the programme’s remarkable legacy, continue to evolve it for the future, and identify, develop and prepare the next generation of F1 race winners and World Champions, following a pattern Red Bull Racing has successfully repeated over the past 20 years.”
The Red Bull junior programme’s most profitable merchandise have been four-time champion Sebastian Vettel and eight-time winner Daniel Ricciardo.
Current Williams drivers Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz additionally got here via the programme, though Albon was dropped in 2016 – after which he was given private help by Lagrue – earlier than being re-instated for his F1 debut in 2019.
The announcement comes after Mercedes and Red Bull reached an settlement that has launched Lagrue from his present contract as driver growth adviser to the Mercedes F1 crew.
At Mercedes, his function might be crammed by a minor reshuffle of the prevailing young-driver programme, arguably the best in F1.
Bradley Lord, who was already involved, was not too long ago promoted to deputy crew principal from his earlier place as communications director and senior adviser to crew principal Toto Wolff.
And Mercedes have a crew of up to 10 individuals analysing the junior classes, proper down to the very junior ranges of karting to discover promising new expertise.
George Russell was Lagrue’s first signing for the crew following his appointment, a couple of months after the Briton famously approached Wolff and gave him a PowerPoint presentation arguing his case to be a part of the Mercedes junior programme.
The Briton has been supported by Mercedes since then as he accomplished the junior classes, was seconded to Williams for an F1 debut in 2019 after which promoted to Mercedes in 2022.
Mercedes signed Antonelli when he was an 11-year-old racing in go-karts and he has been mentored by Mercedes via an accelerated programme that noticed him exchange Lewis Hamilton in the crew when the seven-time champion joined Ferrari firstly of 2025.
Antonelli is that this yr proving his billing as a generational expertise in dominating the F1 world championship in solely his second season.
The 19-year-old has gained 5 races and set six pole positions in 10 grands prix up to now this season earlier than Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix and is main Russell by 25 factors.
Among different successes at Mercedes whereas Lagrue has been working the young-driver programme are Frenchman Esteban Ocon, who was their junior driver and has been managed by them via his 10-year profession in F1 at Manor, Force India, Renault/Alpine and now Haas, and their present F1 reserve driver, the Dane Frederik Vesti.
